Alex has eye on Scots’ Euro squad

Motherwell badminton player Alex Dunn looks set to play for Scotland in the European Junior Championships after hitting top form this winter.

He’s only 15, but has been beating older players north and south of the border and even got a taste of the action in the Yonex Senior National Championships at Perth earlier this month.

Now it’s expected he’ll be named by Badminton Scotland in the squad for the European junior event in Turkey next month.

That was his target at the start of the season when Dunn moved up to the under-17 age group after sweeping the board at under-15 level.

He began with medals in the UK School Games at Sheffield, winning gold in the doubles, silver in the mixed doubles and bronze in the singles.

For the last couple of years Dunn has been testing himself down south in the Badminton England Gold events. This season he has competed in York, Sussex and Surrey, winning the singles gold medal each time and also getting medals in the doubles and mixed doubles.

The Dalziel High School student isn’t afraid to mix it with more experienced players in the older age groups and he won gold in the doubles and mixed doubles in the Yonex East of Scotland Under-19 Championships.

Dunn also competed in the Bank of Scotland National Under-19 Championships at Ravenscraig where he reached the semi-final in all three of his events.

And in the showpiece national senior event at Perth he and partner Mark Leith reached the quarter-finals.

Last season Dunn was effectively the number one player in Britain in the under-15 age group. His achievements included a grand slam of singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at the Scottish Championships and Home Nations tournament.

He turned 15 in September and admitted his opponents in the under-17 age group would be ‘older, bigger and stronger’. However, he insisted his aim was to make his European Junior Championships debut.

Players compete both individually and for their country in the team event. The Scotland team will be named shortly.

Trending

Maria is named top employee

Sheriff refuses to grant compensation order for stolen £50k

A family pet missing from Strathclyde Park leaves Paisley family distraught